A love Story
by necromancer.draco
Summary: Hermione comes back to hogwarts after the war to find everything is back to normal. Or is it? What secret messages did Professor Dumbledore leave behind? Why does she seem to be falling for her arch-nemesis? Read to find out
1. Chapter 1

A love Story

Chapter 1

Hermione looked around the Great Hall, seeing mixed emotions on every face she saw. Everyone had lost friends or family, but the war was now over and there would be no more sorrow.

"Hermione over here!" Harry called from across the Hall. He was sitting at the Gryffindor table with Ron. Hermione made her away over to her best friends.

Harry was beaming at her but Ron looked a bit awkward and she knew why. Ever since that kiss in the room of requirements, they had been a little weird around each other. They had avoided discussing it at all. It hadn't been easy since every single one of their friends expected them to start snogging any second.

"How's everyone at the Burrow?" Hermione asked Harry, trying to cast a casual glance at Ron as well

"Barking mad if you ask me" said Harry smiling "But then that's the state of the whole wizarding world now i suppose. Mr. Weasley and Bill haven't gone to work in weeks. It's like everyone's on an extended vacation"

Hermione laughed. She had gone to Australia a week after the War had ended. She had revived her parents memory, explained to them everything that had happened and came back with them to live in her old home. She had decided to come back to Hogwarts to finish her education, as had most people in her year. The only empty seats she saw in the Great Hall were either of those on the run with their death eater parents or, her heart sank, students who had lost their lives.

"Hey you guys" Neville greeted them as he sat down beside Hermione "i wonder where Luna is, haven't seen her since i got back"

"She's with Ginny at Hogsmeade" harry said "they'll be back before the sorting i suppose"

Everyone was looking forward to the sorting that was to begin in a few minutes. It was one of those things that reminded everyone that Hogwarts was now back to normal.

"Can you believe they let Malfoy come back" said Ron heatedly "after everything he's done"

Hermione looked across the hall at the pale youth sitting alone at one end of the Slytherin table "his mother did save my life Ron" said Harry "and i think that he should be forgiven"

"Can i have your attention please" came Mcgonagall's voice and they were all silenced "I know last year has been hard on us all. All of us have lost many loved ones in our struggle to defeat Lord Voldemort and his followers. Many brave souls perished in the War" she looked across the hall "We remember those that are gone and alongwith their memories will build a new world in which prejudices and hate will not be given room to grow."

"Now, the heads for this year are Miss Hermione Jean Granger from Gryffindor..."Gryffindor table burst into cheers and several people clapped her on the back

"...And Mr. Draco Malfoy from Slytherin" the Great Hall immediately fell into silence. Everyone was staring at Malfoy who, for his part, was looking shocked beyond belief. People started muttering furiously.

"Silence" said McGonagall curtly and everyone turned to look at her "As i have just said prejudices and hatred are to be forgotten. Hogwarts will not let another Voldemort fester in its midst. Now the usual announcements..."

"I can't believe that git gets to be head boy!" said Ron indignantly "we're the ones who were risking our lives to get rid of you-know-who"

"It's not like he wasn't in any danger though" said Hermione and everyone turned to look at her with surprise "i'm just saying Voldemort did threaten to kill him alot too and it must not have been great having Voldemort in your house"

"Hermione, this is the guy who tortured you for being a mudblood for six years" soid Neville

"and i hate him for that" said Hermione "don't get me wrong, i'd still punch him in the face any chance i got"

That seemed to satisfy Harry and Ron who smirked and started eating their food.

"Miss Granger, a word please" McGonagall called once the feast was over and everyone was leaving "Now i understand that you and Mr. Malfoy have had a rocky past and you like many others disagree with my decision to appoint him as head boy"

"Professor I understand that this is to promote inter-house unity and everything but.."

"Ah but Miss Granger it is more than that. You see, in you sixth year Professor Dumbledore expressed his wish to me that, when the time comes, you two be made head boy and head girl"

Hermione was staring at McGonagall, surely she had misheard.

"Professor...I..why would Professor Dumbledore..." she was at a loss for words

"I do not understand the reason myself Miss Granger" said Mcgonagall "but i know that you would want to honour Professor Dumbledore's wishes as well"

"of Course" said Hermione

"very well then" said McGonagall "I shall speak to Mr. Malfoy now however i request you keep this fact between us. I trust you know where the heads' rooms are. The password is 'Halloween'"

Hermione thanked McGonagall and wondered off out of the Great Hall. She wondered why Professor Dumbledore would have told McGonagall beforehand who the heads of houses should be. Of course he had known he did not have long, but why had he felt this wish was significant enough to instruct McGonagall about.

Hermione reached the Heads' rooms and stepped inside. It opened into a sitting room half the size of the Gryffindor common room. However it was not just a blend of red and golden, it was adorned with all of the house's colours.

There were two sets of stairs on either side of the room. Hermione went to the one with head girl written atop the open doorway and climbed up. Her room was beautiful. It exclusively held the Gryffindor colours alongwith a huge four-poster bed and dressing table. There was a huge window that had a great view of the forbidden forest and the mountains beyond.

_"Every year at Hogwarts has been an eventful one for me" _Hermione thought _"This year might just be normal"_

_"i wouldn't count on it" _said a voice from inside her head.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hermione awoke with a start, she had been having a nightmare about strange voices and shadows. But then she remembered the voice she had heard as she was going to sleep. Had it been real?

_"No of course not" _she thought and started to get ready for breakfast.

Hermione met up with Harry and Ron in the great hall.

"McGonagall asked me to give you this" said Harry handing over a roll of parchment

Hermione opened it

_Miss Granger,_

_Please hold a meeting with Mr. Malfoy to decide on how you two shall separate your duties and inform me tomorrow_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Headmistress_

"What does she want?" asked Ron noticing the look on Hermione's face

"I've got to hold a meeting with Malfoy" said Hermione "about our duties"

"Well, he must be in potions with us, you can ask him then" said Harry and they rose for potions class in the dungeons

"Welcome back students" said Slughorn "i'm very happy to see most of you have decided to continue your education" he beamed at all of them

"Now today we shall be making Veritaserum" he said indicating a cauldron beside him which held the watery clear liquid "As it is a very difficult potion to make, i will be splitting all of you into groups of two. Now as i call out your groups, please move to stand with your group member"

He pulled out a parchment from his robes and began calling out their names in groups. Harry was grouped with Ron, and Slughorn winked as he called out Harry's name. Hermione was sure that Slughorn had only wanted to please 'the boy-who-lived' or as everyone called him now 'the-boy-who-defeated-Voldemort'. Harry knew it too as he gave Hermione a smirk.

"Hermione Granger" called Slughorn and she looked up "you shall be with Mr. Malfoy"

Hermione groaned. She did not want to be in a class with Malfoy and risk losing her grades because of his attitude. Nevertheless, she picked up her cauldron, nodded to harry and Ron who looked equally disapproving and went to stand next to Malfoy.

Malfoy did not even look at her as she put her cauldron next to his and pulled out her textbook to look at the ingredients. Slughorn was right, it was a difficult potion and she knew the work could not be done by one person alone. She started to collect the ingredients, not knowing how to ask malfoy for help.

"You cut the Rosemary and start brewing the mixture" said Malfoy and she looked up "i'll work on the other ingredients" he wasn't even looking at her, he had started his part of the work. Hermione quickly thought it through, his suggestion was fair and it would divide the work equally between them.

"Okay" she said unwilling to waste time arguing

As they worked Hermione noticed that Malfoy was very good in cutting and handling ingredients. He also knew when to add the ingredients and how much to stir the potion without looking at the textbook. She had to keep checking the book to see if he was doing everything right but eventually gave up, it certainly seemed like he knew what he was doing.

"Time's up!" called Slughorn when the two hours had finished. He passed over every table, when he reached Harry's he stopped

"Harry m'boy" he said taking a whiff of the potion "Not upto your usual standard today. But i guess even genius deserves a little rest eh?" Slughorn winked at Harry and moved on.

Harry grinned sheepishly at Hermione and she let out a barely audible giggle. Malfoy instantly turned his head to look at her. Hermione knew he was going to pass a snotty remark and beat him to it;

"What's the matter Malfoy?" she sneered "Not used to seeing a mudblood laugh lately?"

She waited for the retort but to her surprise, it didn't come. Malfoy just looked at her, in a way she had never seen him look at anyone before, his eyes boring into hers without any trace of arrogance. Hermione wanted to turn, to look away, but she was transfixed at the spot. His eyes betrayed pain and mourning, and she wanted to know why. She opened her mouth to say something but just then Slughorn broke the trance.

"Ah let's see what the two heads have for us today?" he said standing infront of malfoy who, to Hermione's shock had already looked away "Very nice you two,very nice indeed"

He looked down at their cauldron and smiled at them.

"clearly the best potion i have seen today" he said and poured some into a vial "Now if you two could test this for the class, we all would have a chance to see whether it works or not"

Hermione did not like the idea. She did not want to take the truth potion and start blurting out everything that was on her mind. What if she said something about Ron? That would really be embarassing. But Slughorn saved her the torment by handing the vial to Malfoy.

"Now Mr. Malfoy if you could take a sip" he said and Malfoy started to argue.

"But Sir" he said "I don't think that's a very good idea given my...my past"

"come now Draco" said Slughorn, patting Malfoy on the shoulder "we have all put the past behind us, and i am sure Miss Granger will ask you something very simple, just to demonstrate the effects of the potion"

Malfoy glanced at Hermione for a split second, and then took a sip of the potion.

"Now then Miss Granger, please ask Mr. Malfoy something"

"Err.." said Hermione not sure what to ask "What is your name?"

"Draco Malfoy" he said involuntarily

"Which house are you in?"

"Slytherin" he said in the same trance-like state. Hermione was unsure of what to ask next.

"Professor, what else do i.."

As Hermione looked at Slughorn for advice, she heard Ron's raised voice from the back of the class

"Why didn't you rat us out at Malfoy Manor?"

Hermione gasped alongwith the rest of the class, Slughorn instantly pulled out his wand to undo the effects of the potion but it was too late

"To save Hermione Granger"


End file.
